Optimization model for construction project resource leveling using a novel modified symbiotic organisms search

In the construction industry, determining project schedules has become one of the most critical subjects among project managers. These schedules oftentimes result in significant resource fluctuations that are costly and impractical for the construction company. Thus, construction managers are required to adjust the resource profile through a resource leveling process. In this paper, a novel optimization model is presented for resource leveling, called the “modified symbiotic organisms search” (MSOS). MSOS is developed based on the standard symbiotic organisms search, but with an improvement in the parasitism phase to better tackle complex optimization problems. A case study is employed to investigate the performance of the proposed optimization model in coping with the resource leveling problem. The experimental results show that the proposed model can find a better quality solution in comparison with existing optimization models.